Changes
by sammy169
Summary: Edward leaves in new moon, although this is after graduation, Bella decides she can no longer stay in Forks so packs a rucksack and heads out in search of adventure. Along her travels she meets some old un-dead faces, some she knows and some she knows of.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N OK, so I don't really like writing Authors notes but this one is needed. I really need reviews! Flame me, pity me, or, and this is laughable, congratulate me!**

**This Fan Fic is going to be set after Edward leaves in new moon, although this is after graduation, Bella decides she can no longer stay in Forks so packs a rucksack and heads out in search of adventure. Anyway this is the last you will be hearing from me for a while so please enjoy!**

"Bella, I have to leave." I wouldn't have been too concerned if I hadn't heard the finality in Edward's voice.

"Forever?" I asked quietly. I was afraid of the answer.

"Yes." But why? I wanted to scream at him, beg him to stay. But that wasn't how I wanted him to remember me.

"Can I ask why?" I tried to keep my voice and body controlled.

"I have to."

"Do you not love me anymore?" Again, I was afraid of the answer.

"No, I don't." I nodded, keeping my image controlled. While inside I was slowly being torn apart.

"Ok, if that's how you feel." I felt tears roll silently down my face.

"Goodbye Bella."

"Just go." He nodded once then left, running at vampire speed towards the Cullen house hold. "Tell the others I said bye!" I shouted as an afterthought. I knew he could still hear me. I made it all the way home and to my room before I broke down completely. I cried all night. I knew it would be hard without Edward. Although, it was only a matter of time before he realised his mistake at picking someone as plain and boring as me.

A week passed before I broke the news to Charlie.

"Dad, I'm going travelling." He just looked at me like I was crazy. "Look, I just want to take a gap year before collage and now is the perfect time. I only plan on being gone for a year and I'll come visit all the time."

"But Bells, why?" I had to think of something fast.

"I've taken up photography, and I want to go take photographs from around the world and put together a portfolio. I want to sell them as well, if they're good enough. Plus, I just really want to do something by myself, be independent."

"Where do you plan on going? When?"

"Next week and all over, I'm going to start with Hawaii. I have enough money to get me over there and back again, I can pay for somewhere to stay too. I'll ring you every two days and send tons of postcards." He nodded. And that was it.

After some more research and ordering a camera of the Internet, I found around the world ticket. I could get on any flight from anywhere in the world, if there were any last minute seats available. It was perfect and I bought one that would last me two years, it cost a small fortune but I felt it was worth it.

Within the month I was on a plane to Hawaii, I grinned to myself as the plane took off. There was a particular reason I was going to Hawaii, the sun. No chance of running into any UN-dead people there! I was sat next to a small girl and her mother.

"Are you scared of flying?" The girl asked shyly from her seat next to me.

"A bit, yes. I'm sure we'll be fine though" I said reassuringly. She smiled back and I looked at her mother who mouthed a thank you at me.

The flight wasn't that long and soon we were in sunny Hawaii. I said goodbye to the little girl and her mother before heading to the luggage pick up station. I was already boiling and we'd only been of the plane an hour! I got changed in the toilets then headed out, armed with a camera and the bare essentials. I was determined to have a good time and to forget about, him.

In my trusty back pack I had a waterproof sheet that could be made into a shelter if I needed one, a sleeping bag, a torch, a fire making kit and some hiker food packs. And a couple of changes of clothes. Oh, and I had my survival hand book. And money.

I walked out of Hilo and hitch hiked to Puako, a small town and slept in the forest by the beach. That was my first night under the stars, and definitely not my last. The next day I decided to go look for something I could photograph and turn into a postcard that I could sell to make a little money. After all I had spent almost my life savings on that ticket.

I found the sweetest bay just of the beach and went inside.

"Hey there! What can I get you?" I looked at the blackboard and all the exotic drinks written on it.

"Err.." He grinned.

"How about a nice mango smoothie to start the day?" I smiled back.

"Sure, thank you. How much do I owe you?" I swung of my back pack and pulled out my purse.

"Five dollars please." I handed him the money and took my smoothie. It was delicious!

I got talking to the bar owner, his name was Joe and soon I was sleeping in the bar at night. After a few days A man with a guitar came to the bar and started playing a Green Day song and I couldn't help but sing along. After that Joe started paying me and Freddy to play and sing in the bar every night. Soon it was time for Freddy to move on, he was travelling the world too, I only stayed for a little longer before heading back to Hilo to wait for a free seat on a plane out of Hawaii. I opened up my Hand Book at a random page and looked to see where my next destination was, the Amazon rain forest! Cool! I can get some cool pictures there. I got on a plane and was there. I rang Charlie and once again he tried to convince me to come home look for a collage. Once again I said no and headed out on my rain forest adventure. Long story short I met a tribe when I got lost deep in the jungle, they knew about vampires as well! They were really cool and after a couple of weeks with them they took me to the nearest air strip and told me that I had to promise to visit again and they gave me clear instructions on how to get back to them. As well as a small delicate looking flower that was so resilient it could last for months with out water or sunlight, they said that wherever in the world I went I would always be able to look at the flower and remember them.

My next random page flick took me to Las Vegas. And this is where I began to dig the gigantic hole I'm in now.

I got off the plane and changed the time on my watch. It was nearly three in the morning and I had severe jet lag. I practically crawled to a hotel and checked in.

The next day I went down to breakfast and noticed a sign on the notice board in reception:

_Wanted, singer to perform Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night._

_$90 a night, cash. Ask at desk for audition slot. Free lodging at the hotel._

I did as the notice told me and walked up to the person sat behind the desk.

"Excuse me, I'm wondering if I can audition for the singing slot?" I asked shyly.

"Hey!! Sal, got a singer wanna be over here!" She motioned to me and a short busty woman walked over.

"So you think you're a good enough singer to sing here? We have a reputation to keep you know."

"Yeah, I think I'm good enough." I used the confidence I had gained when with the tribe from Brazil.

"Well then, you can audition here and now."

"Right here?" I asked, I can't help my shyness from popping its stupid head up every now and again.

"Yes, right here." She looked bored. I pushed down the urge to ask what to sing, I think that would have just annoyed her even more.

So I sang. I belted out She's A Rebel by Green Day. Everyone turned to stare at me and I felt myself turning pink, then red. I looked around at the crowded lobby and saw that people were actually enjoying my singing! It gave me a new confidence and by the end of the song everyone was cheering.

"You start tonight, 8pm, the bar." I nodded and she walked off.

For the next three weeks I spent my time singing and meeting eccentric billionaires. That ended when I was at a casino about thirty minutes walk from the hotel. I saw stunning red hair and pale skin. I froze, about to slowly move towards the exit. The woman's head snapped up and she looked into my eyes and I looked into hers, crimson. Victoria. Crap, I'm screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Ok a quick thank you to all those that alerted me and added me to their favourites. And sorry to those who reviewed, I dont know wot went wrong but it wouldnt let me reply!!! Ok, I forgot to tell you that I don't own Twilight last time, so yeah Stephanie Meyer does.

I ran. There was nothing else I could do. Then my life really started to get interesting. One minute I was running down the sidewalk, waiting for the inevitable capture by Victoria. The next I was running vampire speed. I didn't have time to question my new found speed. I had to get out of Las Vegas, or even better, the country. Within moments I was in my hotel room, packing my clothes in my pack. I held my passport and ticket in my teeth and ran down to the lobby. I quickly fed Sal a string of lies. She grumbled but didn't say much.

I ran out into the street and looked at the people around me. No Victoria, thank God. I ran vampire style all the way to the airport and went straight to the help desk.

"Hi. I need a flight, preferably out of the country. As soon as possible." She looked at me strangely.

"Ok, we have a flight to London, check-in closes in 45 minutes." I nodded.

"I'll take it." I handed my passport and ticket over. She handed my stuff back as well as a ticket to London.

I made Check-in and was on the plane in no time. I only let myself relax when we were in the air and I had the checked the plane over for the fifteenth time.

I took a deep breath and tried to work out a reasonable explanation as to why I had just ran at vampire speed. Of course I had to do this trying to not think of Edward, even his name made me want to cry. I could come to one conclusion, I was slowly but surely becoming a vampire.

By the time I had calmed down from my discovery we were already at London airport. I stuffed my pack in one of the lockers and ran around the airport, crossing my paths and back tracking as much as I could. I then went out into London itself and ran there until it got dark. I got on another plane, this one took me to Rome. The second bad thing to happen in the space of 36 hours happened in Rome. I made yet another enemy.

I got off the plane and decided to stay in Rome for a few nights before moving on. I walked around for a couple of hours, searching for a hotel. I walked past the opening of a back street. I heard a child scream and sprinted at human pace down the alley. Two small girls were huddled on the ground, staring into the red eyes of three vampires. To say that this scene made me mad would be like saying world war two was a slight disagreement between friends.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I screamed at the vampires.

"Oh look! Desert! How nice." Came the mocking reply, the speaker was a young girl, a little older than the two human girls that were cowering beneath her.

"Sorry, but I don't plan on being eaten today." I snarled, I didn't even know I could snarl. Well, you learn something new every day.

"I didn't quite catch your name before, could you please repeat it?" Another vampire spoke this time, "Ok, I'll start. I'm Aro, and me and my friends are going to kill you and these little girls." Aro, I had heard that name before! He was head of the Volturi. Way to go Bella!! Pick a fight with vampire royalty, a sure way to get myself killed.

"Hi, I'm Bella and I'm not going to die tonight." As I said before, I was now pissed and I think my voice portrayed that. Jane let out a strangled cry.

"She's not in pain! Why won't it work?" She screeched like a banshee. Not pleasant. The two little girls whimpered softly and the three vampires grinned at each other. Oh no! Please no! I thought desperately to myself. They pounced on the defenceless children, and I could do nothing. They were bled dry in seconds, moments.

"I swear, you will all die, the Volturi will fall. And I will be the one to push you over." That wiped the smiles of their faces. Good.

"How do you know about us?" That was the first time the third one had spoke.

I simply tapped my nose. "I will come for you, don't rest for a second. Don't. Even. Blink." And with that I ran back to the airport, after doing a couple of laps around the city to hopefully confuse them for a while. It had definitely worked as within the hour I was all set to board my plane to China.

I spent the next few weeks moving around the world, shaking of my new enemies. I went to China, Japan, Russia, Africa and finally I ended in Canada. I entered a great forest, three times as big as England. From there I walked for another few weeks. I of course got hopelessly lost and ran out of food. I was nearing death when stumbled on a road. This was on my fifth day without food and only a tiny amount of water. I collapsed by the roadside, sure that I would never see the sun again.

I was woken by tires screeching to a stop a small distance up the road. I tried to sit up but everything went fuzzy. Then a silver Volvo pulled up beside me and the window came winding down. There sat Edward, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in shock.

"B Bella?" He stuttered.

"I..... Have no..... Idea who...... The....... Hell...... You are on about." I managed to get out. I managed to stand but fell over almost straight away. "Crap." I muttered. I shook of my pack and leaned against it. Edward was by my side.

"Bella! What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Minding my own business, you should try it some time." I spat at him.

"But? We're in... How?" He was speechless.

"Look, just leave me alone, Edward. I'm just starting to get over you!" Ok that was a lie, and I couldn't be bothered lying now. "Ok, so that's a lie. I'll never get over you. But I have my own thing now. So leave! I don't need your help!" I got up and swung my pack over my shoulders and started to shakily walk down the road.

"Bella, you're exhausted! Please, at least let me give you a ride into town?" Town? What town? As far as I sort of knew, we were at least a good five days walk from civilisation.

"What town?" I asked.

"The town that's about an hour's walk up this road. Did you not know you were so close?"

"If I knew that I wouldn't be dying at the side of the road!" I cried.

"Do you even know where about we are?" He asked.

"We are, around here-ish I drew a large circle covering most of Canada. He shook his head and laughed.

"Stupid shiny Volvo owner." I muttered as I stood back up.

"So do you want a lift?"

"Do I have a choice?" I asked sourly.

"Not really." I got in the car and threw my pack on the back seat, hoping it got the seats muddy. We drove in silence until we got to the outskirts of a small town.

"Does this place have an airport?" I guess I already knew the answer.

"Nope." He didn't show any signs of stopping the car.

"Anywhere here will do." I hinted.

"What? And face the wrath of Alice when she finds out that you were not only alive but in my car and I didn't take you to see her? I may be a complete and utter fool, but I do not have a death wish."

"Alice is here?" I squealed. I did miss my old best friend. A lot.

"Of course. We were driving near the forest a couple of weeks ago when we picked up your scent, you were going into the woods, alone. Can I ask why you did that?"

"I was, am, hiking. Well that and setting trails." Opps, I didn't mean to say that last part, I hoped he wouldn't notice. Yeah, right.

"Setting trails for who? Us?" He sounded angry.

"You? I said I would never get over you, not that I am totally obsessed with you!"

"Then who? The wolves?"

"No not the wolves." I took a deep breath. "For Victoria." He kind of exploded at that.

"What!" He roared. Old Bella would have shrunk in her seat at seeing him do that, not new Bella though. "Do you go looking for trouble? Why?"

"I didn't go looking for Victoria! That wasn't my fault. I was in Las Vegas," Edward cut me off before I could finish.

"Why were you in Las Vegas?"

"Shh, just let me tell my story. Wait I'm going to have to repeat this to Alice aren't I?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Well then I'll tell you all at the same time. My story only gets worse from here on in." We suddenly sped up and were pulling into a motel parking lot. Edward came round to my side and picked me and my pack up.

"Hey! Let me go! I do have working legs you know!" He didn't listen and soon we were standing in a family size room.

"BELLA!!" Alice screeched as she hugged me.

"Hey Alice!" I squeezed her back. "See that's how you hug someone who can get their ribs broken easily." She grinned at me.

"Sorry. I seem to have lost my ability to hug softly since we left." She sent Edward a death glare. "I didn't want to leave Bella, I really didn't!" I smiled.

"That's ok, if you hadn't left I wouldn't have met Joe and Freddy." Alice stiffened as did Edward. "Oh, it's not like that, in fact I'm pretty sure Freddy was gay. Joe owned the bar I slept and sang at in Hawaii." The stood staring at me eyes wide. The rest of the Cullens then flooded into the room to gape at me.

"Now tell me about Victoria." Edward growled.

"WHAT!?" The rest of the Cullens cried.

"Ok, look. I'm going to start from the beginning. Ok, you left and I decided to go travelling. First I went to Hawaii and I met some awesome people and had a great time. Then I went to the Amazon Rain forest and got a bit lost. I met this great tribe there and I stayed with them for a while. After that I went to Las Vegas, I sang in a hotel and I walked into a casino across town and there she was, Victoria. I .... ran. And got away." Rosalie cut me off.

"You met Victoria, ran and yet you still have a heartbeat?" She sounded shocked. I sighed and looked into the motel kitchen. I grabbed a knife and tried to plunged it into my chest. The knife shattered. They all gasped.

"Ok so I got away and travelled from place to place. Oh, Edward if you didn't like the whole Victoria thing, you might want to leave the room now."

"Bella, what did you do?" He asked.

"Well I was in Rome and I heard children's screams so I ran to see if I could help. Three vampires where leaning over these two little girls. So I told them to stop and then they killed the two girls and I might have got a bit angry. To cut a long story short I might have declared war on the Volturi. Don't worry I didn't mention any of you guys." Chaos erupted. I couldn't figure out what they were all saying.

"Ok, ok! Calm down. I'm leaving now, I've put you guys in too much danger as it is. I'm not your problem anymore, and this isn't your fight." I went to pick up my bag but Rose got there before me.

"Bella. Are you sure it was the Volturi?"

"Well, unless there are any other vampires you know of called Aro. Oh, and one of them was trying to make me feel pain." I laughed at the memory. "She couldn't and she had a strop. Well, if you would kindly return my bag I'll be on my way." I held out my hand.

"Bella! You're exhausted and aren't going anywhere."

"You cannot tell me how I will live my life. I'm going to leave, wait till I change fully, gain control, then take out the Volturi. You cannot stop me. You didn't see those girls faces as they died! I'm not letting that happen." I stopped to let my word sink in. "Rose, can I please have my pack now?" She scowled at me.

"And how are you going to take down the Volturi, Bella? On your own?" She asked.

"Slowly." I said.

"Well, maybe we can speed things up a bit. It shouldn't take as long with two of us." She handed me my pack back. "Give me five minutes to get a few things." I was in shock, I never expected this of any of the Cullens. Especially Rose. I thought she hated me!

"Erm, are you sure Rose? It's not that I don't want you there but, well, if you come with me there is no going back." I called through to her.

"Of course I'm sure Bella! I can't let you go alone, besides, those sons of bitches need to be taught a lesson for feeding of children, I've just become a teacher." Coming from anyone else that last line would have sounded corny, but when it was Rose, it sounded extremely threatening.

"Thanks Rose." I was close to tears now.

"Where Rose goes I go. And, I can't have my little sis going to war without me." Emmett grinned and enveloped me in a huge bear hug.

"I'm coming to!" Cried Alice.

"Me too. I really did miss you Bella." Jasper smiled at me.

"Bella, can I talk to you for a second please, in private?" Ugh, I knew I'd have to face Edward sometime.

"Sure." He led me outside. "You need to eat something." We walked across the street to a diner and I got a huge meal.

"Bella. I need you to understand that I didn't want to leave you. I thought you would be safer without me."

"Yeah? And how'd that work out for you?"

"I still love you Bella, always have, always will, even if you no longer love me back. I don't hold it against you if you don't." He looked really depressed. Ok, I guess I could see where he was coming from. I mean I was already a danger magnet, adding vampires to the equation probably made things a lot worse.

"No, I understand why you left. I still love you, but I need to know if you plan on leaving again. I can't, won't, go through that again."

"I will always be here, for as long as you want me. That's if you still want me." I smiled at him.

"Of course I still want you." I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips." Then Alice came running through the door, grinning.

"Yay! I just saw this like three seconds ago!" She came over and hugged me. She turned to Edward. "And now you can't mope about all day either!" Then he glared at Alice whilst staring into my eyes. Wow, multi tasking!


	3. Chapter 3

Edward's P.O.V

It felt so good to have Bella back with me. Although I did nearly have a heart attack, and seeing as I'm a vampire that is quite an achievement. I can't believe she took on the Volturi.

After I had glared at Alice for a few seconds I focused my full attention on Bella.

"I'm just so happy for you guys and don't worry Bella, we can go to Paris and get you some new clothes. Edward!" Alice whined. "Quite hogging Bella! She is my sister you know."

"Alice I really don't mind." Said Bella before leaning over the table and smashed her lips on mine, then it was over, quickly, too quickly. Then I smelled it, the awful scent that would be forever stuck in my mind. The stench that was Victoria.

XxX

Bella's P.O.V

The scent hit me as hard as a brick wall. Edward and the rest of the Cullens growled.

"Bella, run. Get to the woods, I'll come for you when it's safe."

"Edward, I didn't just walk in that forest." He wasn't going to like this, the thing with Victoria and the Volturi weren't really my fault. I didn't go looking for them. Well, I did look for the wolves, and the grizzlies. "I may have practised fighting. On wolves and bears." I tried to give my best innocent look. He wasn't having any of it. "Look, you can yell at me later, ok? All I'm saying is that I can hold my own in a fight." I crossed my arms firmly across my chest.

"Bella. Oh, fine. Just please let me take care of this." Pleaded Edward, He had no chance though. It was her fault that I had to leave Las Vegas and then in turn find the Volturi. I was going to kill her, she was my mortal enemy.

"Edward. Look, she is my enemy, if I hadn't gotten lost in those woods, I would have to deal with her on my own anyway. I can take her, you haven't seen me fight since, well you have never seen me fight. I'm almost fully vampire and I'm as strong as one."

"Well, no offence, but you are still slightly human and Victoria is strong."

"You don't think I can take her?"  
"No, I don't."

"Fine, we have about half an hour before she gets here, you and me. A first blood kind of thing, but without the blood." In the olden days, duellist would fight until the first cut was made, it was called first blood.

"Bella! I am not fighting you! You are still human and still fragile, there is no way on earth that I will fight you." Well, there are other ways to prove my point.

"Emmett? You know how much I love you right? As a brother of course. You'll fight me won't you?" I put on my best puppy dog eyes. Emmett's eyes grew wide.

"Belllllaaaaa! Why do you always put me in these situations? I want to fight you but Edward will kiiillll meee!" He pouted and moaned at me like a stroppy three year old. I sighed.

"See what you did Edward? You made Emmett cry, I hope you're happy." I went and patted Emmett on the shoulder and shot Rose and Alice sly grins. They grinned back and Rose walked over to me and Emmett.

"Aww, don't worry Emee Wemee. We all hate Edward and his stubbornness." Consoled a now fake weeping Emmett.

"I hate you all." Said Edward.

"I love you to, now fight me." I grinned at him and he sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Five minutes and then we stop. We need to prepare for Victoria." Yay and woo hoo erupted from the others, well apart from Jasper who grinned at Edward.

We all went outside and ran for a couple of miles to get away from the town.

"Ok, are you sure you want to do this? You do know that I could really hurt you." Oh please, had he already forgotten about me fighting grizzlies and wolves?

"Quite the talking and fight me!" We both took fighting stances.

"On three. One, two, THREE!" We both flew through the air. He hit me and my breath was knocked straight out of my chest, somehow it didn't hurt as much though. I grabbed his shoulders and tried to spin him onto his back. We both carried on trying to flip each other for about thirty seconds before I slid my leg behind his and yanked it back as hard as I could he began to topple forward but grabbed my shoulders and not only caught himself but pushed me down at the same time. I hit the ground and rolled as Edward tried to pin my arms. I jumped up quickly and pounced on him pinning his arms and legs. I grinned.

"I win!" That was about when he flipped me, caught me before I hit the ground, wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. I was filled with ecstasy again and forgot about trying to win. Oh well.

"See, I always win." He replied smugly. Stupid sparkly vampire.

"Yeah, well. If you weren't you I would have finished you off as soon as I had you pinned, I wouldn't have stopped to make a witty remark." I pulled away and made a humph sound before spinning on my heels. Then I smelt the scent of Victoria, it was so strong I thought she must be within three meters. "Look, I've proved I can fight, now let me take her, please?" I pleaded.

"Fine, but any sign of trouble and I kill her straight off." I nodded.

Victoria entered the small clearing.

"Well, look who we have here!" She sighed mockingly. "Human vampire hybrids, no pride. After Edward simply left you, you simply take him back without a second thought. Well, you don't have to worry about him leaving again. You'll both be dead in a matter of minutes." She smiled, I just growled.

"Victoria! How nice to see you again! So tell me, how's James doing?" She snarled at me. Then jumped at me, I was ready for her and dogged her attack. She recovered and we began to circle each other. I couldn't let this go on for long, it was only a matter of time until she got bored and attacked me, I had to be quicker and attack first. I did and managed to knock her to the ground. I saw her slight movement which gave her role to the left away. I pushed my foot to the ground at the side of her and she rolled straight into my leg, I pounced on her and shot my arm out to grab her head, she moved though and so I went for the next best thing, her arm. I tore her limb straight off and threw it towards the Cullens.

"Burn it!" I screeched. They got to work starting a fire. Victoria hissed at me before lunging for my neck. I leaped back and she staggered up after me. I lunged again, punching her in the jaw. I was rewarded by a very loud crack and a howl from Emmett. Victoria staggered back and I pounced again, not giving her the slightest chance to recover. I once again went for the head but she dodged, again! So I switched to a lower strike and tore her lower leg off at the joint. I tossed it to the others and they threw it in the now roaring fire. Victoria toppled and fell. I didn't wait to say anything funny. I just relieved her of her head and tore her apart, throwing her into the fire.

I then slumped down against a tree, breathing heavily.

"That was AWSO.." Emmett was cut off by a slap round the head from Rose. Edward walked over to me and slid his arm round my shoulders.

"Are you alright love?" He asked in his soft velvet voice. I mustered as much courage as I could and tried to put a smile on my face.

"Course! That's one less enemy now, right?" My voice cracked though and I knew everyone saw through my carefully built facade. Truthfully, I was dying inside. I was never as strong as I thought as I made people think I was. I was so scared of the thought of going up against the Volturi, it nearly made me scream every time I thought of it. Killing Victoria, that was a big thing for me. It was like finally admitting that I was slowly turning into a vampire, that fighting was now my life. I felt a single tear slide down my face. I took a deep breath in a futile attempt to reign in my emotions. Edward pulled me into his hard chest and held me tight.

"We'll meet you back at the motel." Alice tactfully excused herself and the others. I felt Edward nod but he didn't say anything. They quickly left the clearing and we were alone.

I kept breathing deeply, calming myself down. I thought about what I was going to tell Charlie when I rang him. What I was going to put in my letter to Jacob, and finally what I was going to say to the Cullens when I told them of what I was going to do. I had it all figured out in my head, I would leave for Italy first thing tomorrow morning, alone.

"Edward," I held my breath for a couple of seconds, then let it all out in a rush. "I'm leaving tomorrow, for Italy. I'm going to go to the Volturi and take down as many of them as I can before they kill me. I'm going alone and you're not going to follow me. I need to do this, I've got myself into this mess and I have to take the consequences." I held my breath again, waiting for him to explode at me again. He didn't disappoint.

A/N I know I said you wouldn't hear from me for ages I just wanted to say sorry for not updating in like a week, I feel really bad! I got my laptop taken of me because my room was a tip! Well it's tidy now and I have it back! YAY!! Ok, you know you want to review!!! Bye byeXxX


	4. Chapter 4

Edward's P.O.V

WHAT!?! Bella was not leaving. I wouldn't let her.

"NO!" I yelled, she shrunk away from me, I cringed. "Sorry, but I won't let you leave. I... Bella.... Look, if you leave...I..I don't think I can.... leave you alone, never mind carrying on living like normal." I sighed, I was never good at telling my feelings. "Bella, you mean everything to me. Without you I'm not even half a person. I love you Bella and I won't let you go and get yourself killed by a bunch of sadistic vampires." She took another deep breath, I knew her to well, she was about to argue with me. I got there first though. "Bella, you are part of me and I am part of you, so if you think about it, your problems are my problems. We will face them together." She looked up at me with those deep brown eyes. They were all puffy and red.

"I love you to Edward. Look, you left to protect me and now it's my turn. I love you more than... More than my own life, I would do anything to keep you safe. That is why I am going and going alone." She looked so determined. Same old stubborn Bella.

"Bella, you have no choice in the matter. Oh, and you haven't banked on the rest of your family either. If you think Emmett, Alice, Rosalie and Jasper are going to let their little sister go running off to Italy on her own, you have another thing coming. We are going to come with you, when you are fully changed and at your strongest. Until then we can keep moving, the Volturi will never find us." She sighed.

"Nope, not happening. I'm not dragging anyone else down with me." What did she mean by that?

Bella's P.O.V

Opps, Edward was sure to notice the whole dragging anyone else down with me thing. I tried a quick save.

"What I mean is... Taking on the Volturi wasn't my best idea and now I'm going to have to pay the price. And I don't want anyone else to get hurt." He stared at me.

"And what are you going to tell the others?"

"I'll go and tell them now." I took a deep breath and ran back to the motel.

Alice and the others were standing outside, arms crossed or on their hips. Stupid future seeing pixie.

"Don't try it Bella. You're not going to Italy by yourself, we won't let you." Rose said.

"But... But.. Please?" I resorted to begging. It didn't work.

"I am coming with you whether you like it or not. The Volturi are out of hand, killing small children is beyond insane, they need to be taken down." Rose can be so, so, rose-ish.

"Well," I sighed, defeated. "But, why do you guys hate me so much! All I want to achieve in my life is to take down a vampire royal family, on my own. That is the only thing I want to do. But will you let me? No! You have to go all protective and ' we're your family, Bella' and 'We can't let you do grown up things because you've not celebrated you 100th birthday yet'" I mimicked their voices. "That's it, isn't it? You're a bunch of ageist vampires!" Ok, now I was rambling, clutching at straws and yelling. They all stared at me like I was insane, in fact I'm pretty sure I was at that point.

I took the opportunity that had been given to me and grabbed my pack and ran. It didn't take them long to shake of their confusion and they were on my tail in no time. First I went into the woods but I couldn't run my fastest without tripping every three seconds, so I went to the road and ran at my fastest down the relatively even surface. I heard their footsteps behind me and sped up until I was going at my fastest.

That's around the time I saw the car on the horizon and had to move off into the woods. I stumbled slightly but managed to stay upright. I know, amazing isn't it? Then I fell flat on my face. Cold strong arms picked me up by my waist.

"Crap." I muttered as I looked up into Edward's very angry face.

A/N Sorry it's such a short chap and it took so long to get up but I'm a busy girl!!

Love always,


	5. Chapter 5

Edward's P.O.V

"Crap." She murmured as I held her tightly.

"Bella, I. Love. You. What is it about those three words that you don't get?" I asked her. "Or is it that you just don't love me?"

"Edward!" She pulled away from me but didn't make a move to run away. "Of course I love you dam it! Every second you were gone it felt like I was dying. When I first ran from Victoria, that first plane ride out of Vegas, I asked myself why I hadn't just let her kill me. Save me the pain I was going through. Even when I faced the Volturi, the only reason I didn't let them kill me was because I want to avenge those poor girls! So please, let me hurry up and kill them so that I can get on with slowly dying." If I could cry, I would have done at that moment. The pain that I had put my Bella through was just too much. I was a monster, I hated myself.

"Bella, please don't talk like that. I was stupid to leave. But I never stopped loving you, I thought you understood that?" Back at the dinner I was sure that Bella had understood all this.

"No, I don't Edward! You don't just leave the person you love. I don't hold it against you ok? I just want to get on with my life."

"Bella, I would do anything for you. I will stand by you when you face the Volturi, I will be there for you when you start to get the thirst. I will die for you if I have to. I will do anything to prove that I still love you more than life." Tears were obscuring my Bella's beautiful eyes.

"I don't know if I can accept that just yet. It hurt so much Edward. You leaving, I didn't think I'd make it through. Of course then I got a bit side tracked with the whole making enemies left right and centre thing." I growled slightly at that, I didn't like the fact that Bella was in danger.

"You don't need to worry about the Volturi anymore. Ok?" I was going to sort this out. "I'll kill them myself. Then you can explain to me why your skin is so hard that you shattered that knife."

"Well, I have a theory on that. I think that James's venom is just taking longer to infect because you got most of it out, just not all of it. And this is my fight Edward, my war and I decide who puts themselves in danger because of it." She looked so darn cute when she was being stubborn. I had the overwhelming urge to kiss her.

"Look, this all boils down to the fact that I am faster than you and I am stronger. I won't let you go and kill yourself." I grabbed her shoulders. She flinched at my touch.

"Look, I don't want your help. I don't want anyone's help. I'm going to do this one thing, then I'm going to go home and say my goodbyes." She hesitated.

"And then what? It doesn't just end after that you know. There will be a struggle for power. The vampire world will be in turmoil. No vampire will be safe from the war." I tried to stress this fact to her but she clamped her jaws together, balled her fists and stared straight ahead. I shook her gently. "Don't you understand! You won't be able to slink of into the shadows if you take down the Volturi. You will be number one on every power hungry vampire's hit list." She stood firm, then it struck me. She didn't plan on being around when the Volturi were gone. She planned on dying in the fight. "No! Bella, just.... No!!!" I roared at her. "I will not stand by while you go and kill yourself. No way. No fucking way!" I was surprised at myself for swearing, I thought it was a awful habit.

Her jaw trembled, her eyes became moist and her chest began to heave. Then she broke down and my Bella looked even more vulnerable than when I had left her.

"I was so scared! I thought I was going to die! I thought I was going to kill people! I tried to kill myself, and I couldn't even pierce my skin with a knife! I drank bleach, paint remover and gasoline! I even found a place that would sell me some arsenic, and guess what! Nothing! No sickness, no coughing up blood. Not even a stomach ache." She took a deep breath. I couldn't move, I couldn't talk and it was a good thing I didn't have to breathe. "The only way I could justify being alive is the fact that I'm going to kill the Volturi, and I'm going to get killed in the process, that way I can never hurt anyone ever again."

"But, we managed to gain control and so can you."

"I had no one, Edward! I couldn't count on my own strength to stop me! And like you said, I'm the world's deadliest predator, the world's deadliest predator with no self control." I felt my world come crashing down around me. My Bella thought she was a monster and that was all my fault. She tried to kill herself because of me. I pulled her into my chest. Just the thought of her being dead terrified me. She pounded her tiny fists on my chest, her blows slowly getting weaker, her sobs harder.

The others burst through the tees and joined our hug. Alice and Rose were dry sobbing, Emmett looked like a little kid who had just found out his dog had been run over and Jasper was an emotional wreck.

"I'm sorry guys, I've been making some stupid decisions lately, and having mood swings that change so fast I give myself whiplash." She laughed shakily.

I looked at Jasper, _Oh my God. _He thought. For the first few months after Jasper discovered his power, he had awful mood swings. One minute he would feel madly in love, the next he would be so angry he could quite literally kill someone . I listened to Jasper's thoughts again. _I hope she isn't like me, it hurt so much at the start. _

"What do you mean?" Asked Bella, confusion plain on her features. _Can you hear me Bella? _He asked, I was staring openly now, so was everyone else for that matter. "Of course I can hear you! I said I get mood swings, not temporary lose of hearing."

_Great, another mind reader, just what we need! _Thought Emmett sulkily. He was probably thinking of all the pranks that would no longer work.

"You mean I can..... I'm a....... Wow." Bella's eyes were wide and to say she looked shocked would be an understatement. I nodded at her.

"Jasper, what did you mean I hope she's not like me?" She asked, she never misses a thing does my Bella.

"Well..... Mood swings are what I went through when I was first changed, when I first got my power. Emotions really do play a big part in the decisions you make and mine were so messed up that I went to France because I felt like a run! I made some of the strangest and most stupid decisions and well, you show all the..... symptoms of been like me."

"But it looks like I already have a power. I can read minds remember, speaking of which would you all keep your thoughts down? You're killing me here!" They all mumbled there apologies, all sulking that they now had to shield their thoughts from another person.

"Bella? Can you please concentrate on getting a vision, of Edward's future?" Alice said, trying to keep calm, she was failing miserably.

Bella got a vision and I was pulled in too. _A dark room, vampires in long black cloaks. Me and the rest of the Cullens, Bella included, were all standing in front of the crowed of vampire. We all wore determined, slightly confident looks. Aro had a look on his face I never expected to see. Fear. The whole Volturi were there, all staring at Bella. Bella looked strong and if looks could kill, nothing within a ten mile radius would be left alive._

"_You have hurt not only innocent children, but you have tried to hurt my family. For that you shall all pay with your lives, there will be no mercy. Not after what you have done." Her voice was filled with so much passion. So much hate ,I wondered what the Volturi had tried to do to us._

We were released from the vision and Bella was gasping for breath she didn't need. Alice was so excited that Bella could now help her search the future should the need arise.

"What did you guys see?" Asked Rose. Bella had regained her composure.

"The Volturi, they all looked, well they looked........ scared. Of me." She found that very hard to believe, I could see doubt very clearly in her eyes.

"The Volturi?" Asked Emmett.

"Yeah, the vampire royals, my mortal enemy? The guys who are trying to hunt me down and kill me?" Said Bella.

"I know who they are! What were they doing in a vision about Edward?"

"It wasn't just about Edward. We were all in it, we were about to take on the Volturi." 


End file.
